Day 4 review of Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Cameron Young went into day four with a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Adrian Meronk. Both Young and McIlroy opened up with pars at the first hole. The second hole at Majlis is a reachable 351 yard par four. McIlroy reduced the deposit to one shot after finding 351 yard par four in one shot. The third hole at Majlis is a 601 yard par five. McIlroy’s second shot ended up off the green whereas Young hit an extraordinary third shot from 133 yards.
Both McIlroy and Young finished the third hole with disappointing pars. At par three fourth hole McIlroy achieved a par whereas Young dropped a shot. After six holes McIlroy was joint leader with Meronk on 13 under due to Young dropping two shots. McIlroy finished the front nine in style as he held two sensational birdie putts at the eighth and ninth hole. After nine holes Young was on 12 under and McIlroy on 15 under.
Meronk made an excellent birdie at the third hole and played six holes in one under. On the seventh hole Meronk misjudged his chip shot as it rolled into the water. Meronk finished the front nine with a double bogey and a bogey to shoot 37. Meronk’s playing partner Haotong Li opened up with holing a 40 foot birdie putt at the first hole. On the second hole Li took a penalty drop and held an extraordinary par putt. Li dropped a shot at the fourth hole but bounced back two holes later with a birdie. Li played the front nine in one under.
In the third last group it was Joaquin Niemann and Rasmus Hojgaard. Hojgaard got off to a fantastic start as he reached 11 under after six holes. Hojgaard was unlucky as his tee shot at the seventh hole rolled into a penalty area which resulted in a double bogey. Hojgaard played the front nine in one over. Niemann dropped a shot at the fourth hole but bounced back quickly with a birdie on hole five to shoot a front nine of 34. Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Fitzpatrick played together on day four but had a combined front nine of six over.
McIlroy started the back nine with a disappointing par whereas Young made his first birdie on day four. Young hit two extremely poor iron shots which resulted in bogeys at both 11 and 12. After 12 holes McIlroy had a four-shot lead. Meronk nearly put his third shot into the hole for eagle but returned to 11 under after 10 holes. Li was forced to take another penalty drop at the 10th hole but hit an unbelievable third shot and held a fantastic putt for birdie.
The 13th hole at Majlis is a par five and McIlroy attempted to cut a corner with his tee shot. McIlroy didn’t need to take this shot on with having a big lead and was extremely lucky to find his ball. Four-time major winner was all over the place at the 13th which eventually ended with a bad bogey. Young didn’t take advantage of McIlroy’s mistake as the American was unsuccessful with his birdie effort. McIlroy’s lead was reduced to one shot due to birdies by Meronk at 13 and 14.
Li’s chance of a second Dubai Desert Classic win came to an end as he made three bogeys in a row at 14,15 and 16. Li two-putted the 18th for birdie to finish in a tie for seventh on nine under. Hojgaard made a great birdie at the difficult 12th hole but a bogey on 13 was crucial as Danish star finished in a tie for 11th. Niemann birdied the 15th hole and finished tied fourth on 10 under. Adam Scott, Nicolai Hojgaard, Pablo Larrazabal and Aaron Cockerill all shot under par rounds to finish in the top 10. Tom McKibbin finished in a tie for 14th on six under.
McIlroy made pars at 14, 15,16 and 17 to take a two shot lead to the 72nd hole. Meronk made a birdie on the 18th hole to finish second on 13 under. Young made three birdies and five bogeys in his final round to finish third on 12 under. A par was good enough for McIlroy to win his fourth Hero Dubai Desert Classic on 14 under. A great start to 2024 for McIlroy with a tied second at Dubai Invitational and his third Rolex Series win at Dubai Desert Classic. A remarkable win for McIlroy considering he was 10 shots behind after two rounds.